I Will Try to Fix You
by TheFallenNightAngel
Summary: It's been months since Hydra infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. Coulsen and his team are working to rebuild their world piece by piece. A new agent who's only 13 years old joins the team. She has a broken past but starts to trust Ward. Will he help her open her world or push her away? This is my 1st story
1. Chapter 1: The Beginning

Skye was sitting in her tiny room on board the Bus. She was reading a book that she wasn't really interested in but had nothing else to do. It had been months since they had caught the Clairvoyant and things had finally settled down. Unfortunately, S.H.I.E.L.D. was still in ruins thanks to Hydra. Coulsen's team was one of the few original remaining teams of S.H.I.E.L.D. Skye still liked to joke about the fact that she was an official agent for only about a week. Bit by bit, S.H.I.E.L.D. was starting to grow again.

"Skye?"

She looked up to see her former S.O. Ward standing in the doorway.

"Yeah, what's up Ward?" she asked with a smile.

"Coulsen's calling a meeting in five, new assignment from Hill," Ward said. "I'll let you get ready..."

Skye dropped her book and was out the door before he could utter another word.

Ward watched her go with a mixture of amusement and exasperation. "Or not," he muttered under his breath and followed her down the hall.

As Ward caught up with her, Skye turned and looked at him. "So Ward, do you miss being an S.O.? I mean, of course you miss me being your Rookie," she teased. "You must miss bossing people around saying "Punch that bag harder!" or "Twenty more push-ups for being late!"."

Ward gave her a crooked half smile. "You're right, I do miss parts of being a S.O., but not for those reasons."

Skye raised an eyebrow and replied, "Well then what do you miss about it?"

He hesitated a second before answering. "I think the best part about being an S.O. is watching that specific trainee grow and become a true agent. And then when they are a real Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., you get to step back and think 'wow, I trained that person and look where they are now."

Skye nodded. "I think I understand that. But you have to admit, you like bossing people."

Ward shook his head ruefully and gave a slight laugh. "C'mon Rookie, Coulsen's probably wondering where we are."

* * *

Skye and Ward joined the rest of the team that was gathered around the Holotable. Skye had nearly died with laughter when she heard about the story when Ward couldn't work the Holotable. Ward, of course, was miffed and demanded that Fitz and Simmons taught him how to properly use it.

Coulsen looked up. "Finally, we've been waiting for ages. When I say 'meeting in 5', I mean 5 minutes, not 5 hours." Skye grinned sheepishly. "Sorry Coulsen."

"So what's the new mission Coulsen?" asked Ward.

Coulsen motioned to Simmons to pull up a profile on the Holotable. "Agent Hill has requested that we pick up an asset from the Hub. It's a girl, and she may possess some sort of power. Hill has assigned her to us to make sure organizations like Centipede don't get a hold of her. Hopefully we can unlock that power and possibly maybe make her a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. She could be a valuable part of our team."

He gestured to the Holotable where a picture of a young looking girl was displayed. "This is her. Her name is Katya Blanchard."

"Uh sir, she looks like she's about ten years old," said Fitz skeptically.

Coulsen smiled and replied "You're close, she's thirteen." Fitz's mouth dropped open. "Thirteen?! WE'RE BRINGING A THIRTEEN YEAR OLD ON BOARD?!"

"Would this be a bad time to mention that you and Simmons will be teaching her certain things she'll need to know?" Coulsen said.

Fitz looked like he was about to pass out. Simmons piped up quickly, "Of course, we'll be perfectly happy to do it sir."

Coulsen turned to Skye and Ward. "Skye, you'll be helping her hone her computer skills. According to Hill, Katya's quite the expert. And Ward, you're coming out of S.O. retirement. You'll be training Katya to prepare her as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent."

Ward was stunned. He was expected to train a thirteen year old? How was that possible?

Skye nudged him. "So, you'll be able to get back into the swing of being an S.O.," she said with a smile.

"It's important we try to get as many powerful assets on our side to rebuild S.H.I.E.L.D." Coulsen said. "We'll be touching down at the Hub any minute n-"

"_Approaching the Hub, ready for landing. Buckle in._" May's voice said over the speakers. Coulsen turned and looked at his team. "Time to go."

* * *

Simmons and Skye stepped off the Bus together and joined the rest of the team on the rooftop of the Hub.

"What do you think it's going to be like, having a younger girl aboard?" Skye asked the biochemist.

"I think it'll be quite nice, actually," Jemma replied in her crisp British accent.

"I wonder why this Katya girl didn't go to the S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy. Maybe she was too young," Skye commented.

"Perhaps. Or maybe she didn't want to," Simmons said but was interrupted by the voice of Agent Hill.

"Coulsen, good to see you. I wasn't sure you'd come." said Hill, shaking Coulsen's hand.

"Of course I would. I'm not sure my team would've though." He leaned in and whispered to Hill, "I don't think they're too crazy about having a kid aboard the Bus."

Hill shook her head. "I'm not surprised, but I think they'll enjoy it, believe it or not."

"Well, we'll see." Coulsen said doubtfully. "So, where's Katya?"

Right on cue, an averaged height girl with dark brown hair and piercing hazel eyes emerged onto the roof of the Hub. She walked up to Hill and said in a voice that was pleasant, "Is this the team I'm going to be with?"

Coulsen stepped in and answered for Hill. "Yes, we are. I'm Agent Coulsen, this is Agent Grant Ward, Skye, Simmons, Fitz, and May." he said pointing at each of his team members in turn. Katya nodded and shook each agent's hand.

"I'm Katya, as you might already know. I'm sorry I inconvenienced you or your team in any way," she said with an apologetic smile, the kind only kids can pull off.

"It's not a big deal, we're always open to having new trainees." Coulsen replied.

"I see that you're in good hands Katya. Good luck to you." Hill laid a hand on Katya's shoulder and smiled.

Coulsen gestured to the Bus. "You ready to go? All your luggage is loaded on."

Katya smiled and nodded. "All set." The team plus new trainee filed back onto the Bus.

Fitz turned and whispered to Simmons, "I still can't believe we're bringing a bloody thirteen year old on board."

"Oh shush Fitz, you once were that age too," Simmons chided.

"Yah, I was, but I wasn't on a gigantic plane training to be a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent."

* * *

"Skye, you and Ward show Katya the ropes of the Bus. I'll be in my office. Katya, I expect every morning you to be training with Ward and to be studying with Skye, Simmons, and Fitz." Coulsen said, dismissing them all.

Skye turned around and smiled at Katya. "So do you have a nickname, or should I call you Katya?"

Katya smiled shyly and said, "Some people call me Kat, you can call me either one you want."

She glanced over at Ward, like he was making her nervous. Skye noticed and said "You don't have to worry about Robot here, he can be a bit stiff sometimes but once you crack the surface, it's all good." Ward gave a half smile and nodded.

"Tomorrow morning we'll start training at about seven A.M." Ward said.

Katya grinned and replied "Sounds good to me. I'm super excited to be here. Oh I have a question. Is there some sort of...empty room that's averaged sized?" Skye looked puzzled and looked at Ward.

"Um there's the cargo hold where Ward will train you. If you don't mind me asking, what do you need that for?"

Katya laughed. "Don't worry, it's not anything dangerous. I just want a quiet place to do my hobby. If, that's alright..." she said, trailing off at the end and looking uncertain.

Skye put her arm around the young girl's shoulders. "Hey, relax. None of us on the Bus bite. I promise."

Katya gave Skye a small smile and nodded. "Thanks, it's always hard adjusting to a new place."

Ward and Skye exchanged a glance, knowing exactly what Katya meant.

Ward gestured to the Bus. "So, let's give you the grand tour of the Bus. After you Katya." Katya picked up her backpack and Ward picked up her moving boxes.

* * *

Katya sat on her bed inside her tiny room. She was in awe of the Bus. She couldn't believe the facilities and abilities of the plane. It was almost like a flying hotel. For top secret agents, that is. Coulsen, Ward, and Skye had seemed extremely nice. She had heard the man with the Scottish accent -what was his name again? Oh, Fitz!- talking to the biochemist Simmons about her. Katya sighed and knew that it would hard to impress the team and let them know that she belonged here.

Katya stood up and opened the boxes Ward had set in the corner of her room. After glancing at the walls which were plain, she pulled a few posters, pictures, and graphics out and tacked them on the walls. Then, Katya placed all of her favorite books on top of the teeny dresser.

After a little while, the room started to look more like home to Katya. She smiled to herself and thought, _Maybe this won't be so bad. _

* * *

**Author's Note: Hi everyone! This is my very first fanfiction so I hope it's alright. Suggestions and criticism are welcome. Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2: Training

Katya was sprawled out in her bed, intoxicated with sleep. She found the lull of the Bus and the slight swaying comforting. She was restless, slipping in and out of consciousness. Katya hadn't gone to sleep till midnight. She was up late reading through a book about S.H.I.E.L.D. that Skye had lent her. Katya desperately wanted to impress the team with some sort of knowledge about S.H.I.E.L.D. so she didn't look like a clueless idiot. But she could only stuff so much information into her head.

Being on the Bus was different than what Katya was used to. There were no people banging on her door and demanding that she let them in. No one snuck in to steal her belongings. Ward had checked in on her to see if she was settling in alright. But that wasn't a sign of meanness, it was a sign that he actually cared about her wellbeing. That was a foreign feeling to Katya. She was so used to people shutting her out and leaving her alone in the dark.

Katya had first thought that Ward was intimidating. After all, he was a Specialist for S.H.I.E.L.D. Quite frankly, everyone on the Bus intimidated her. Except for maybe Skye. Skye had seemed very nice towards her. But everyone was nice to Katya before they turned their back on her. Her trust had fallen to pieces over the years. The heartbreak and the sorrow she had suffered had made her a closed off person.

* * *

Ward stood in front of Katya's door. It was 7:00 AM and Katya hadn't made an appearance in the cargo hold for the start of her training. Ward knew that some people weren't morning birds, but Coulsen wanted him to train her so he would. Properly.

He was still puzzled at the fact that he was expected to train a thirteen year old. Coulsen had said Katya had a special power. Ward hoped that it wasn't anything dangerous. After what had happened with Centipede, he had seen enough dangerous powers. He thought that she was shy and that he hoped that Katya wouldn't get scared or offended at his occasional harshness in training. Skye had always told him that he could be too hard on people. Ward was determined to be a decent S.O. to the girl.

He hesitated before knocking at Katya's door. No response. Ward knocked again and said "Katya, it's 7:00 AM, it's time for training." Still no response. "Katya, get up now or I'll make you do pull ups to start off training." Surprisingly, this got no response. Usually when Ward pulled out the pull ups threat, that got people up and running.

Losing patience, Ward opened her door. He found her still sleeping. He shook his head and sighed. Ward never liked waking people up. He often got a fist in the face or a pillow thrown at him for waking people up.

Ward quickly flicked Katya's blankets off of her and stepped away so he couldn't get punched.

She sat up immediately and cried "What?! What's happening?!" Rubbing sleep out of her eyes, she saw Ward and put the pieces together. "What are you doing in my room?" she questioned.

"It's 7:00 AM, you're late for training." Ward said.

Katya shot out of bed and started grabbing clothes out of one of her boxes. _Great, it's the first day of training and I'm already late! What a great way to make a first impression, _she thought angrily. "Get out, I'll be down in 5 minutes."

Nodding, Ward ducked out of Katya's room and headed for the cargo hold.

Katya frantically yanked on a fresh pair of pants and a shirt. After glancing at the clock, she realized there was no time to take a shower or to brush her teeth. Groaning to herself, she popped a couple of mints in her mouth and hoped that would cover her horrible morning breath. Katya pulled on a pair of sneakers and awkwardly sprinted down to the cargo hold while trying to tie them. _Well, this should be fun, right? How bad can it be?_

* * *

"Today we're going to assess your current skills and build your training around that. So, have you ever taken a self defense course?" Ward asked.

"Um, sort of. I didn't take an official course but I kind of picked up how to throw a punch and some things like that myself," Katya said doubtfully.

"It's better than nothing. Here, try throwing a few punches at the bag." He motioned towards the punching bag.

Katya looked at the bag skeptically. She wasn't very tall, nor particularly strong. Ward had wrapped cloth bandages around her knuckles to protect them. She thought back to when she had to defend herself. She remembered all those times where she stood up for herself and punched them in the jaw. Taking a deep breath, Katya punched the bag like she would've if someone was attacking her. And again. And again. Without even realizing it, she started to think of the bag as a real person. Attacking her, ruining her life all over again. It wasn't until Ward laid a hand on her shoulder that she stopped and stared at it.

"Not bad considering you don't have any previous training. You have the strength, the focus, and the preciseness. Not bad." Ward said with a faint smile. He was surprised at the skill Katya had.

"Thanks. I guess it just comes naturally to me," Katya said, grinning.

* * *

Over the next few hours, Katya went through an intense training session with Ward. He pushed her to the limit and she loved it. She felt like she was actually learning something that could help her in life.

Coulsen and Skye watched them train from above. "Katya's pretty good, isn't she?" Skye said.

"She could be a great agent." Coulsen admitted.

"She seems to have to drive to be one. But she's so young A.C. I mean, thirteen is really young. I wonder why she wanted to be involved with S.H.I.E.L.D." Skye wondered.

Coulsen looked at Skye. "Everyone who comes to S.H.I.E.L.D. has a reason. They don't just show up out of their own free will. Katya's got a reason, and whether we ever find out is the question."

Skye glanced back at Katya and Ward. Ward seemed like a good S.O. for her. She was attentive and followed his every order without question. But she still seemed shy. It was almost like Katya was scared of doing something wrong. Skye mentally made up her mind right then that she would help Katya in any way and befriend her. She seemed lonely and Skye knew what it was like to be alone.

* * *

"And then the copper acid will taint the paperclip, thus making it like the penny!"

Katya was sweaty and exhausted after her training with Ward, but was forced to work with Simmons on basic science and chemistry. It was actually kind of fun. They were doing an experiment with pennies, paperclips, vinegar, and salt. It was something based on copper acid.

Katya and Simmons got along well. Katya thought that Simmons's British accent was so cool! Literally everything Simmons said sounded different in her accent. Katya was actually learning more than she did than when she was in a real school. _I could get used to this, _she thought with a smile.

The biochemist and Katya finished up the experiment and cleaned up. Katya wrinkled her nose and made a face. "Ugh, I can't stand the smell of vinegar. It's disgusting."

Simmons laughed and said "Well then you haven't been to my old elementary school. When music class came around, the teacher had us try instruments, but she cleaned the mouthpieces with vinegar."

Katya made another face and then laughed. "Sounds downright gross to me."

Simmons laughed and said "We'll continue this tomorrow, Fitz is going to take over now."

Fitz. The one who wasn't too thrilled about her being here. Great.

BANG. The door to the lab slammed open and shut. A very peeved looking Fitz came in and sat down next to them.

"Are you ready to start?" Fitz said with an annoyed look.

Katya looked troubled. "Look, I know you're probably not thrilled that I'm here, but this training means a lot to me. And...you seem like a nice guy so I want to give you a chance before I let your current personality color my judgment," she said outright.

Fitz looked embarrassed. "It's just that it seems odd to have a thirteen year old on board the Bus. Plus, I've never really taught anyone anything." He trailed off at the end with an apologetic look.

Katya gave Fitz a small smile. "It's alright, I understand."

Fitz opened a drawer and pulled out some parts. "So today I'm going to be teaching you how to make a computer drive."

Katya's eyes immediately lit up. Chemistry was hard, but technology and building things were two things she was actually decent at. She and Fitz spent the rest of the morning constructing the relatively simple computer drive. From there on out, the two became relatively friendly with each other.

* * *

Katya sat on the couch that was just outside the bunks. She picked at a sandwich that Ward had made for her but she wasn't hungry at all.

Coulsen approached her and sat down across from her. "How are things going on your first day?" he asked.

"It's been alright. I really enjoyed training with Ward, I think I'm starting to pick up on the techniques. Simmons is a lot of fun. Fitz...well, we're starting to get along now," she replied smiling.

Coulsen nodded and patted her shoulder. "You would make a great S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. Keep it up and you'll be heading in that direction." He stood up and left to see May in the cockpit of the Bus.

Katya sat there dumbfounded. Coulsen thought she could be a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent? That's probably the highest praise anyone could get! _If I could become a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, that would change my life forever. I could be...__**someone.**__ Not just Katya Blanchard. I could be someone who matters. _

* * *

**Author's Note: Thanks for reading this next chapter, I hope you all like it! Suggestions and criticism are always welcome.**


	3. Chapter 3: Potential

Ward was sitting at the counter for food prep playing a game of solitaire. His hands were still stinging from where Katya had hit them during training. For such a young girl, she had so much energy and drive. It was almost...unusual. Not that Ward was complaining. It made his job as an S.O. easier.

Ward could read people's body language and he got the feeling that Katya was a very closed off person. He couldn't blame her, being on a plane full of people she didn't know was scary.

He slapped another card down on the counter. The card tore apart slightly at the edge. Ward mentally reminded himself to ask Fitz if he had a spare deck of cards. They usually played a few games of poker once in a while. Although Fitz was more reluctant to play after that time he claimed he could see through Ward's cards. Ward still hadn't figured that out. It didn't help that Skye laughed her head off every time he asked her about it.

Just as he was about to finish his game of solitaire, he heard a slight creaking noise coming from the bunks. Looking up, he saw Katya slip out of her room and down the hall towards the cargo hold. Ward swept up the cards and stuffed them in a drawer. He waited a few seconds and then stood up and followed Katya soundlessly.

He opened the door to the cargo hold quietly and leaned against the balcony railing overlooking it in the shadows. Ward heard the clatter of something against the floor. He leaned over the railing a little more to see what Katya was doing. He was shocked at what he saw.

Katya had a long staff that was slightly shorter than her and was twirling it around like a ring master at a circus. Or maybe like someone who was trained in the martial arts. But even that didn't describe what Katya was doing. It wasn't for show, it was defensive. She fake blocked, parried, stabbed, and twirled the staff around and around.

Ward was totally and utterly confused. How did Katya know how to do this? Especially when she was only thirteen. Despite his confusion, he had to admit that her technique and skill with the staff was remarkable. Her face was a mask of pure calm. It looked almost effortless. The only person Ward had seen that was so focused and in control during combat was agent May. On the other hand, May didn't use a staff.

He stood there for a good ten minutes watching Katya practice. Only when sweat started to break out on her forehead was when the staff slipped from her grasp and whacked her in the head. The force of the blow knocked her on her knees. Ward emerged from his hiding spot and sprinted down the staircase to her.

"Are you okay?"

Katya looked up at Ward. "Yeah...yeah I'm fine. Must've lost my grip...Ward, what are you doing here?"

"I heard you come down here so I figured I'd see what you were doing. After all, I am your S.O.," Ward said as if this was obvious. "So, this is your hobby?"

She nodded and rubbed her head. "Yup, this is what I do. I don't usually drop the staff on my head though." Katya prodded the growing lump on her head and winced. Ward beckoned to her.

"Here, let me check that. You might get a concussion or it might be bleeding." She let him examine her head. "It looks like there's a bit of blood, not too much though. It'll probably clot in the next few minutes. You should stop for tonight though, you don't want to over exert yourself."

Katya nodded wordlessly and sat down on the staircase. Ward could feel an awkward silence spreading over the room.

"You've got really good talent with a staff," he said honestly.

She looked up and smiled. "Thanks, it's kind of a secret talent. I taught myself using an old hockey stick."

"You should've told me you could use a staff. I could've trained you using it."

Her eyes lit up. "You could do that?" she said excitedly.

Ward gave a nod and said, "Definitely, you could be able to defend yourself pretty well."

She jumped up off the step she was sitting on. "Can we start doing that tomorrow?"

"Of course. We'll start off right away with that," Ward agreed.

Katya gave him a big smile, one that lit up her entire face.

"Great! I can't wait. It'll be awesome."

Ward shook his head smiling. "By the way, what are you doing up this late? Nearly everyone else is asleep."

Katya's expression instantly darkened. "Um, I couldn't sleep. Bad dreams."

He sensed there was something more to it. "Are you sure? I can help you, you know."

Katya gave him a tight and pained smile. "Yep, I'm fine. Don't worry about me."

Ward didn't pry any more but knew that she wasn't fine. "You done for tonight? It's pretty late."

She shrugged and replied, "I'm just going to clean up and get something to eat then I'll head to bed." He nodded and said, "Okay, see you tomorrow morning."

The two parted ways.

* * *

Skye sat on the couch with her computer balanced between her legs. The morning sun was creeping in through the windows. A very sleepy and yawning Katya sat next to her with another computer. Skye was testing Katya's hacking abilities which, of course, weren't as advanced as hers, but nonetheless impressive for a girl of her age.

Katya was good at finding patterns within the computer system and had the mindset for a hacker. Skye was reminded of her own self when she watched Katya. Their determination, focus, and drive were matched.

Ding. "Ha! I did it! I hacked it!" Katya crowed with a glowing smile.

Skye returned her smile and said, "Awesome, congratulations Katya. Your hacking skills are pretty darn good. Where did you learn to do this stuff?"

"I read a book on it in a bookstore once and kind of picked up the rest myself."

Skye was impressed. After all, it had taken her months of training with the Rising Tide to hone her skills.

"Good work kiddo. We'll make a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent out of you for sure," Skye said.

Katya turned to her. "You...you really think so?"

"Definitely, Coulsen thinks you've got potential. That's high praise. And Ward thinks you're pretty good too. You've also gotten some good comments from FitzSimmons. So yes, I do think so."

Katya said nothing but looked at the ground and smiled. _Everyone thinks I have potential! _She thought giddily.

* * *

Katya was flipping through an old magazine she had brought with her in one of the moving boxes. It was a collectable so she thought she'd keep it. She paged through the various photos and articles, not really bothering to read it. She looked up when someone knocked at her door.

"Come in?"

Simmons popped her head in through the door. "Coulsen wants to see you in the cockpit." she said with her usual cheery British accent.

"Be right there. Thanks Simmons." Katya replied, following her out of her room.

Katya entered the cockpit and saw May and Coulsen there. She couldn't lie, May made her nervous. Just the way she was soundless and...moody unnerved Katya.

"Katya, come on in. I wanted to talk to you for a second." Coulsen said, beckoning her in. She stepped in further and stood awkwardly in front of the door. "Yes?"

"Ward, Simmons, Fitz, and Skye have all reported on your activities and training abilities in the five days that you've been here. They've all given me very good reports."

Katya felt her heart soar. These people she hadn't even known for that long thought she was good? "R-really? Wow, thank you."

Coulsen nodded and said "I was thinking, is being a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent something you want to be?"

She hesitated a moment before saying, "Yes, it is. I've always wanted to be one."

Coulsen was quiet for a second. "I want to give you an opportunity to become one. Given your age though, it's very difficult. As far as our records show, no one has ever become an agent at your age." He was quiet for another few seconds. "That doesn't mean you can't become the youngest agent ever. If you're willing, I could continue to have my team train you, and then eventually you'll be put on missions with the team. After you've successfully completed some missions, I'd have you take the S.H.I.E.L.D. protocol test. Does this appeal to you?"

Katya thought she was going to pass out. She could become the youngest agent ever. She nodded so fast, she was reminded of one of those cheesy bobblehead toys. "YES. I mean, yes, I would absolutely love to do that. As long as it doesn't inconvenience you. But I would consider it a privilege to be a part of S.H.I.E.L.D."

"We're trying to rebuild S.H.I.E.L.D. and we need people with your kind of skill and focus, regardless of age. You have what it takes to be an agent." Coulsen said with one hundred percent seriousness.

May spoke up and said, "To join S.H.I.E.L.D., all you need is a passion to help the goodwill of others." Katya nearly jumped ten feet in the air. She had forgotten May was there.

She stood straighter and nodded. "I have that. I want this. I can do it."

Coulsen nodded and stood up. "Best of luck to you."

* * *

**Authors Note: I'm so sorry that this chapter is a bit late. I had writers block and couldn't upload anything because of school. Enjoy this next chapter. Criticism and suggestions are welcome.**


	4. Chapter 4: Not Enough

"But Coulsen, why can't I go?" Katya exclaimed.

"You're not trained enough. You're not going, and that's final," Coulsen said firmly.

Katya set her jaw and crossed her arms. "Why not? I've trained for weeks now."

Coulsen sighed. "Katya, please. This is for your own good. Stay with Simmons while we go."

Coulsen had just announced a mission to the team. He had found a warehouse that Centipede was currently occupying. They were going in to take them down. Katya was mad because he wouldn't allow her to go with them. He had said that she must stay on the Bus with Simmons.

Katya mumbled under her breath and went to find Simmons.

She plopped herself down next to Simmons, who was making sandwiches.

"Hi Katya. Want a sandwich?" she asked.

"Sure, I guess," Katya replied.

"What's wrong? Are you still mad about Coulsen not letting you go?"

"Of course I am."

"Cheer up, you'll go on a mission soon enough," Simmons said comfortingly.

_Yeah, in twenty years, _Katya thought stormily. 

* * *

"Do you think we should've let Katya come with us?" Skye asked Ward as they were suiting up.

Ward shook his head. "No. It's safer for her to be here."

"But she deserves a chance," Skye pointed out.

"I agree, but she's not fully trained yet. It's better for her to sit this one out," Ward said.

"I guess so," Skye shrugged.

* * *

"So, who wants to venture into the creepy Centipede-infiltrated warehouse?" Fitz said.

The team minus Simmons and Katya were standing in front of the warehouse.

"We're splitting up into teams. May, you're with me. We'll go through the front entrance. The rest of you take the back entrance. No funny stunts, okay?" Coulsen said, giving Skye a look.

"Gotcha Coulsen, no funny stuff," Skye laughed.

Ward, Fitz, and Skye filed in through the back entrance.

"Does anyone bother to dust in here?" Skye coughed, brushing away a cobweb.

"Shh!" Ward chided.

They walked even deeper into the warehouse.

"This is really creepy," Fitz whispered.

"It'd be even more creepy with some psycho shooters and guns," Skye whispered back.

Right on cue, a group of Centipede soldiers rounded the corner and whipped out their guns.

"Damn," Ward said.

* * *

Coulsen and May were halfway into the warehouse when they heard gunshots. They looked at each other and started running towards the noise.

"Hurry, it might not be anything to do with us, but I have a feeling it does," Coulsen said. 

* * *

**Authors Note: Hello! I'm so sorry that this chapter is super duper short, but it's kind of a transition chapter. There will be longer chapters soon. I promise! Criticism, suggestions, and comments are welcome! Thank you! **


	5. Chapter 5: Centipede

Skye wasn't fond of hiding in a men's bathroom, but what choice do you have if crazy psychos are shooting bullets at you? Ward, Fitz, and her had been walking down the hallways trying to locate people or computers to take down. They hadn't found anything, that is, until a group of Centipede soldiers started gunning them down. Ward was the first to react and had shoved them in the bathroom.

"This door and lock should hold." BANG. "At least I hope so." Ward said skeptically.

"Seriously Ward? Why a bathroom?" Skye groaned.

"It was strategic!" He said, looking put out.

"IT'S A BATHROOM."

Fitz cleared his throat. "Sorry to interrupt your little argument, but we're stuck here until those maniacs stop firing at us."

Ward started examining the room. He pointed at a heating duct in the ceiling. "We might be able to crawl out one of these ducts."

Fitz gave him a sideways glance. "Do you remember the last time we went through a duct? We almost died in an exploding mountain top."

"Uh, when was that?" Skye asked, puzzled.

"That was when we got the miracle drug to save you from death," Ward said shortly.

"Oh. Well, I say we try it. After all, I've never crawled through a duct before."

Five minutes later, the duct grate was removed by Fitz.

"Okay Skye, Fitz and I will hoist you up first," Ward said.

"Don't you dare drop me," Skye said before stepping into their cupped hands. Using the core strength she'd gained when Ward had made her do pull-ups, she easily pulled herself up into the duct. "Okay Fitz, give me your hand."

With a bit of difficulty, they all made it into the duct.

"C'mon, let's try going through this way," Fitz said.

* * *

May and Coulsen ran down the hallways of the warehouse. Coulsen tossed May a knife. "Here, if you can get close enough to the Centipede soldiers, cut off their serum holders."

"But won't that kill them?" May asked.

"Probably. But we can't waste time. They might have this place rigged," Coulsen said. May nodded.

As the rounded a corner, the saw two soldiers firing at a...bathroom? They immediately turned around and saw Coulsen. May pounced on one of the soldiers and hacked at his arms and back. Coulsen did the same. All of a sudden, May felt a sharp stab in her arm. She quickly looked down and saw a knife sticking out of her arm. With one last slash, she cut the last serum holder off. Coulsen finished hacking off the other soldier's.

"You alright?" Coulsen asked. May grunted in pain and gestured at her arm. "Come on, we've got to find the others and get you to Simmons."

* * *

Skye dropped a quarter down through a grate and listened to it drop. She held her breath, waiting to see if there were any people in that room. Nothing. "Coast is clear. Let's get out of this thing."

Fitz pulled the grate off and they all dropped down to the ground.

Skye took a sharp breath. "Guys...this is...this..." They had found the computer room. There was at least ten computers lining the room. A cord ran out of each one.

Ward looked to where the cords lead to. He grabbed Skye's arm. "The computers are hooked up to Centipede soldiers. We have to get out of here."

Skye wrenched her arm free. "No! We can disable the computers and take the info. We might be able to save these men too."

"Skye, I know you want to help but they're dangerous," Fitz said.

"You don't understand, they aren't activated yet with the serum. They aren't dangerous. Yet."

Ward hesitated before answering. "I think Skye's right. This could be valuable information."

Fitz gave a little whimper. "But Simmons is making sandwiches..."

Skye pulled out a hard drive and began wiping the information onto it. "Wow, some of this stuff is really interesting."

Ward gave a nervous glance at the immobile soldiers. "Skye, hurry it up."

"Okay okay, I'm going as fast as I can." Fitz was taking vials of the serum. "Simmons and I will be able to run test on this to see if we can make an anti-serum."

"I'm done. Let's get out of here." Something caught her eye. The eyes of the soldiers were starting to glow. "Uh Ward..." She said slowly.

"I see it. I see it but I don't like it. Let's go. Move!" They all shuffled as fast as the could out the door. Ward slammed the door shut and locked it. "We've got to find Coulsen and May before something happe-" KABOOM. A loud explosion came from the room they just exited. "Before that happens."

They ran the opposite direction and hoisted themselves back into the duct. They went as fast as they could on their hands and knees, not caring if the were making a lot of noise. Ward took the lead with Fitz behind him and Skye in the back.

"Ouch! Fitz, get your foot out of my face." Skye complained.

"Sorry, I'm trying to keep up with Ward here."

"FITZ, YOU DID IT AGAIN."

"Sorry! I'm swear I'm trying not to."

"Stop bickering you two and move faster." Ward said sharply.

* * *

Coulsen and May were running as fast as they could with a knife sticking out of May's arm. Clang. Clang. Clang.

Coulsen looked up. "Did you hear that...?" It sounded like someone was above their heads. It got louder and louder until it stopped right above them. Coulsen pulled out his gun and aimed it at the ceiling. The ceiling panel slid back. A figure jumped to the ground.

"Freeze! Don't move until I see who you are." Squinting to see who it was in the dark, he aimed the gun directly at the person's head. "Show yourself!"

The figure slowly turned around.

"Coulsen, chill! It's me, Ward."

Two other figures dropped down. Skye and Fitz. He lowered the gun. "Thank God, we've been looking all over for you. Did you find the computers?"

Skye nodded. "Yep, we shut 'em down. I have the info on a drive."

"Good. We need to get out of here, May's injured and we don't know what else is in here."

* * *

"These are seriously amazing sandwiches," Katya said to Simmons. She couldn't believe she was raving about a sandwich, but it was so good! Who knew pesto aioli could be so awesome?

Simmons beamed. "I'm glad you like it. The secret is not too m-" The com system that was sitting on the table next to them started to crackle. Coulsen's voice came through saying, "Simmons, get ready to do stitches on May. She got cut in the upper left arm. It went in pretty deep."

"Got it Coulsen, what's your ETA?"

"Five minutes."

"I'll be ready."

Katya looked up with a concerned look. "Is May going to be okay?"

Simmons gave her a reassuring smile. "She'll be fine, I need to go and get ready to stitch her up though." With another thought, Simmons continued, "If you want, you might be able to help me." Katya's eyes lit up. "Okay."

Katya washed her hands pulled her hair back. She was nervous but had a thrill of excitement. The cargo hold door opened up, revealing the team. Coulsen ushered May up to the lab.

Katya glanced at Skye and Ward who looked alright. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Skye and Ward were okay. At that moment, Katya realized they meant more to her than she thought. Hesitating just a bit, she ran to Skye and gave her a hug. Skye looked surprised but hugged the younger girl back.

After pulling away, Katya smiled. "I'm glad you two are okay."

Ward nodded. "We're fine. But I don't get a hug...?" He said teasingly. Katya laughed but gave him a shy hug.

"Thanks Kat."

* * *

"I can't stitch this up that small. My hands are too large." Simmons was trying to stitch May's knife cut up but it was a difficult task.

May rolled her eyes. "I don't need stitches, I'll be fine."

"Don't be ridiculous." Simmons scolded. Then an idea popped into her head. "Katya! Come to the lab for a second please?" Within seconds, the girl was present.

"What do you need?" she said.

"Can you stitch?" Simmons asked.

Katya looked baffled. "I-I can sew neatly, but I've never stitched a w-wound..."

Simmons patted her shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll walk you through it. It's not a big deal."

Katya gulped and nodded. "O-Okay. What do I do first?"

In no time, Katya was crouching on the table next to May stitching up her wound. As usual, May didn't even flinch. Finish off the last stitch, Katya examined her work. There was a neat row of stitches.

"Not bad Katya." May said.

Katya smiled and replied, "Thanks. I hope I didn't hurt you."

"Of course not, I barely felt it."

Katya let out a breath of relief. "Is this a bad time to mention that I have a slight fear of needles and blood?"

The shock on May and Simmons' faces was almost comical.

Almost.

* * *

**Authors Note: Helloooo! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed/followed/liked and all that good stuff. I noticed one of you said that you wanted Skyeward. Well, good news. THERE WILL BE SKYEWARD! I'm a hardcore Skyeward shipper and definitely will be including them in this story. By the way, how do you like Katya's personality so far and how she's developing with the other characters? Let me know! One last thing, maybe some of you are confused as to why this takes place after Hydra has been taken down and why Ward is still with the team. Okay, I had this idea before Ward betrayed the team and I didn't want to bag it. So, this story basically takes place after Hydra is overthrown BUT Ward is not a traitor. So just imagine the SHIELD episodes happened without Ward being a lying traitorous bastard. Okay? Just to clear things up! (Sorry this is such a long note!) **


	6. Chapter 6: Tears

Ward was dozing in and out of sleep. He heard soft footsteps pass his doorway and saw a shadow cross the hall. A few seconds later, he heard quiet crying noises. Alarmed, he got up to see who it was.

Ward stepped out of his room to see a small figure standing at one of the windows. Katya. He walked over to her. "Are you okay?"

She whirled around and swiped at her face. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine." Her voice was thick with tears.

"You don't look okay. Last time I checked, someone crying means that they aren't okay." Ward said, trying for humor.

She hiccupped and wiped her face again. "It's nothing. I-It really is nothing," she choked out.

He didn't want to push her into giving him a reasonable answer, but he also didn't want to leave her to suffer. "You know you can tell me things. I'm your S.O. after all."

She looked at him with teary eyes. "I can't tell you. M-Maybe they'll be a time where I can, but I can't now Ward. I'm sorry."

"Hey, don't be sorry for that. It's your choice," he said reassuringly.

She gave him a small smile through her tears.

Something inside of him told him that this girl needed someone to help her. "If you don't want to talk about that, do you want to talk about something else?" he asked.

Katya was silent for a second. "Like what?"

"Anything. Favorite dessert? Favorite electronic dance music artist? Something about your family?" Ward threw out options left and right.

Katya gazed out at the passing sky. "My mom died when I was twelve. My dad and brother left me with my aunt and uncle. So now my aunt and uncle are my guardians. They're really good parents. But...it's just not the same," she confessed.

Ward was stunned. Her own father had dumped her? "That must've been hard," he said, not knowing what else to say.

"It was. They were always so nice to me, but I never felt like I really belonged. I could never be a part of their life." Katya looked down. "I tried. I really did try. But something about it was wrong." She looked up at Ward. "That's when I left and contacted SHIELD. Maria Hill took me in and then that's when I ended up here."

Ward put his arm around her shoulders. "I'm glad you're a part of SHIELD now. You belong here. I think everyone else on this plane can agree with that too." "Thank you Ward. That really means a lot to me."

Katya wiped away the last of her tears and sniffed. "Cheesecake, Zedd, and Martin Garrix," she said out of the blue.

"What?" Ward asked.

"You asked me what my favorite dessert and favorite electronic dance music artist was. Cheesecake, Zedd, and Martin Garrix," she said.

He laughed and replied, "Martin Garrix, huh? Isn't he seventeen or something like that?"

Katya blushed. "Um, eighteen actually. He's kind of cute." She said the last part softly.

"Did you just say he was cute?" Ward poked her in the stomach.

"No! Why would I say that?" Katya stalled.

"Because you think he's cute, I swear I just heard you say that." "Did not!" "Did too."

He teased Katya like a little sister. He made her laugh until she forgot that she had been crying. Katya felt like she could be herself around him and not have to guard herself as much. But she had to. She had to remember that she couldn't let anyone in. But maybe just this one time she could...

Katya pulled away from the window. "Hey, I'm going to try to get some sleep." she said.

"If you need anything just knock on my door." Ward said. "Don't be afraid to ask, okay?"

Katya nodded. "Thank you."

She pulled open her door.

"Katya?"

She turned back around. "Yeah?"

Ward grinned. "Now I know you have a thing for Dutch EDM artists."

"I do not!" Katya laughed.

"Night Ward."

"Night Kat."

* * *

**Authors Note: Hey y'all! This is a slightly shorter chapter but I wanted to get this one up before this weekend. This is a very important scene for future chapters. Thank you for all the reviews! To the person asking why Ward isn't Skye's S.O.: Skye is now an official agent of SHIELD as of episode...um...I'm not sure which episode! (Oops) Also, to the person asking will Katya let Skye and Ward in: YOU'LL HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE! Basically, this chapter is kind of a filler chapter. I hope to have the next chapter up by the beginning of next week. Suggestions, comments, and criticism are always welcome. Thanks! Ciao for now. **


	7. Chapter 7: The Mission

"If you don't wanna take it sloooow and you just wanna take me hoooome..."

Katya had the day off from training and was currently listening to her iPod in her room. She was playing her entire One Direction album collection. "And let me kiss youuuu!" She was singing along to pretty much every song.

Ward had stuck his head in to let her know that everyone on the Bus could hear her. She had just grinned and said, "You gotta live it up and not care who's listening!"

She was in the middle of jamming out to The Way by Ariana Grande when her iPod stopped.

"I just charged this thing, what the heck?" She rebooted it and tried the click wheel again. It still wouldn't work. "Ugh! What's the matter with this thing?" She banged the iPod against her hand. "C'mon, work!" After five minutes of trying to get the iPod to work, she gave up.

Katya had an idea. She sprinted down to the lab where Fitz was tinkering with some sort of device.

"Hey Fitz, can you fix this?" She handed him her iPod. He took it and examined it.

"Hm...iPod classic...sixth generation...fairly new...yeah I think I can fix it." he said. He rummaged in a drawer for a tiny screwdriver and took off the back. "Hm, looks like the battery is overloaded. I'll replace it with a new one and maybe clean out the storage chip while I'm at it."

Katya did a little twirl and clapped her hands together. "Yay! Thanks Fitz! How long will it take?"

"Not long, fifteen minutes tops." he replied.

Before she could respond, the rest of the team filed into the lab. "Um, what's going on?" Katya asked, puzzled.

May gestured to Coulsen. "Ask him, he's got all the answers."

Katya raised an eyebrow. "Why are we all gathered in this tiny lab?"

Coulsen grinned at her. "Because you're going on your first mission."

Katya's mouth dropped open. "W-WHAT? Are you serious? When? Where? With who?" she asked in one slur of words.

Skye laughed and said, "Calm down Kat, Coulsen hasn't even told you what you're doing."

Coulsen opened a file and showed Katya what was inside. "We're going in undercover to this chemical manufacturing company. It's called TCRF meaning Technology and Chemical Research Facility. Recent studies have shown changes in people when their chemicals are used in things like vaccines. They seem to be targeting specific people like government officials. We're all going in to shut TCRF down. If all goes wrong, hopefully we can get a captive or two and some samples of their chemicals."

He looked around at them all. "Any questions?" No one said anything.

"Okay. We land in twenty minutes. Simmons, Fitz, and I will all be posing as entrepreneurs interested in selling them a new product. May, Ward, and Katya will sneak in the other way and hopefully will be able to steal some of the chemicals. When they give me the single, we'll take them down. Clear?"

Katya raised her hand. "So that sounds all good to me, but one thing. Why am I going with Ward and May?" she said.

"Number one, in case anything happens, you're in the hands of two of the best agents. Number two, there might be some tight situations where your size will come in handy. Number three, well, I just like the thought of you being with Ward and May." Coulsen replied.

Katya mulled over those reasons. "Okay, fair enough."

"C'mon Katya, let's get you suited up." Ward said.

"But Fitz isn't finished fixing my iPod..."

* * *

"Do I have to wear this? I don't like wearing all black." Katya complained.

"Black helps us camouflage into the shadows better. Black looks fine on you." Ward said. "Here's your staff. Fitz made a few changes. He made it lighter and more pointed at the top."

Katya took her wooden staff from him and swung it a few times. "Hm, not bad. I like it!" she said.

"Try not to whack yourself in the head though." Ward warned.

She laughed and saluted. "Will do sir."

The two joined May outside. "You all set?" May asked.

"Yep, ready and rarin' to go." Katya said.

"We have a little while to wait for Coulsen to give us the signal that it's A-Okay to go in." May said.

Meanwhile, the other half of the team was already inside TCRF. They had been greeted by a smiling, dressed in all white woman. Skye threw Coulsen a look that said: _I don't get a good feeling from this woman. _Coulsen gave her a look that said: _Same here. Hang in there, it's not time. _They were ushered into a sterile, all white room with a few armchairs.

Fitz whispered to Simmons, "What's with all the white? It looks like a snow storm." She punched him in the arm in return.

"Please sit and wait for our head director. Would you like any refreshments?"

Fitz perked up at the sound of refreshments. "Black coffee with a hint of sug-"

Coulsen nudged him. "No thank you. That's alright." The woman nodded and left.

"What the hell Coulsen, I'm thirsty!" Fitz groaned.

"They might spike drinks with chemicals, just follow my lead." he hissed in reply.

A man in a black suit with a white flower in his lapel walked in. Skye thought there was something familiar about his face. They all stood up hastily.

"Good afternoon, my name is Argus Quinn. I'm the head of TCRF. My assistant tells me that you had an appointment?"

Coulsen immediately tensed. Argus Quinn? Was it possible that this man was related to Ian Quinn, the one who had shot Skye? He gave a quick glance towards Simmons, Fitz, and Skye, and they all seemed to be thinking the same thing. He gave a slight cough. "Yes, we are. We have some new products that you might be interested in."

Right on cue, Fitz pulled out a few vials from his backpack. They began to explain the products that Fitz had made. They were obviously fake, but hopefully the team would be long gone before TCRF discovered that.

Back at the Bus, May was listening to the whole conversation. She heard Coulsen say that they were going to show them the "products". That was May, Ward, and Katya's cue to start for the back entrance of TCRF's building.

"Let's go, it's time." she said, motioning to the other two. They nodded and made their way to the back door. Katya tried the doorknob and found that it opened easily.

"Well, that wasn't so hard." she said with a laugh.

The door opened up into a labyrinth of hallways.

"Where do we start? It's a maze in here." Katya wondered.

Ward shrugged. "It'd be best if we split up but Coulsen said to stick with you..." he trailed off.

May spoke up. "How about this, you take Katya, I'll go off by myself. I can handle myself. Besides, you work better with her than I do." Ward thought it over for a second.

"I guess that would be okay. Don't do anything stupid though and signal us if you find anything."

"Fine."

"Left or right?" Ward asked Katya.

"Left because I write with my left hand." she replied. The two went left while May went right.

Ward and Katya kicked open door after door, finding nothing but empty rooms.

"I wonder where all the security is." Katya commented.

"Since Coulsen and his 'research group' is presenting to the head of TRCF, all the security will be with them." Ward said logically.

"Hm. I never thought of it like that." she admitted.

They continued opening doors and kept finding nothing. All of a sudden, they heard footsteps behind them. Ward whipped around and saw a group of guards. "Hey, what are you do-" The guard didn't get to finish his sentence because his face met the end of Katya's staff. The length of her staff allowed her to jab through the group of guards with no problem. The ones she couldn't hit, Ward took care of.

"Nice job. I should bring you along more often. You're a beast with that staff of yours." Ward complimented.

Katya poked at one of the guards with the staff. "Thanks. I think they're out cold." Her words were cut off when a loud blasting noise came from somewhere in the building, followed by gunshots.

Ward pushed Katya into the nearest room. "Stay here, I'm going to see what that was."

Katya sputtered. "No! I'm going with you."

Ward sighed. "Look Katya, you don't have a bulletproof vest. There was gunshots and I don't want you getting shot. Okay? Just stay here and I'll be back in a second."

She scowled and gave him a dark look. "Fine."

He shut the door behind him and prayed Katya would stay put. Ward followed the scent of smoke, heading towards the direction where it was stronger. He came across a large lab with smoke pouring out of it. Coughing, he blindly fired a few shots at the opposite wall to filter out anyone who might be in there. No one came out. Ward went in and opened one of the cabinets. The shelves were lined with vials of liquid. He carefully took out one in each row and put them in his pack. _But why would this lab be smoking, and why were there gunshots? _he wondered.

Not wasting any time, he made his way out of the lab and started back to where he left Katya. He was halfway back when he heard it. A loud, high pitched scream. Not just any scream. A girl's. A _young _girl's. Katya. Ward started running, trying to reach her. He heard her scream over and over again. Then, the noise was cut off abruptly. He stormed through the door of the room where he left her and found nothing. Nothing but drops of blood on the floor.

Ward felt a red hot ball of anger heat up inside of him. Katya was his responsibility and he had failed. She was gone. But who took her? He radioed May through the intercom system.

"May, I got the sample of chemicals but Katya's gone. I heard her scream and then nothing."

Her voice came through after a moment. "I got some too after blowing up the lab." _Oh, so that's why the lab was smoking. _"Take the west end and I'll take the east end. We have to find her." May said. "Copy that."

As Ward started to search, he could only pray that Katya was still alive. She might've only been with the team for a short while, but she was important to Ward. He had trained her, helped her, and been there for her. Her life was too fragile for him to drop her and make mistakes. Now wasn't the time to bail out on her. He was going to be there for her now.

* * *

**Authors Note: Hey! This is a longer chapter than usual, but I just couldn't stop writing! CLIFFHANGER! So, it sounds like Ward is really protective of Katya now, right? Ooooh I have some great ideas for this story. I hope you all like it! Review if you'd like with suggestions, comments, and criticism. Until next time!**


	8. Chapter 8: Pain

Katya had been sitting on the floor of the room that Ward had left her in. She anxiously tapped her foot. She didn't like being alone, especially in a strange place. Another minute went by. Then another. Then another. Finally, she heard footsteps coming down the hall. Katya stood up and opened the door. "Took you long enough..." her voice trailed off and she dropped her staff.

The person standing in front of her wasn't Ward. It was a man she had never seen before. "And just what are you doing here?" the man inquired.

"I-I um...I'm l-lost..." Katya stuttered.

The man gave a short laugh. "Before you try to lie honey, you might want to take off your S.H.I.E.L.D. emblem on your coat."

Katya clutched at her coat. _Damn. _

He took a step closer. "I'll ask you again. What are you doing here?"

Katya said nothing.

"Fine then, I'll have to find out other ways," he said. He snapped his fingers and two other men came in and grabbed her by the arms. She tried to fight, but the two men were obviously much stronger than her. She kicked at their legs and tried wrench her arms away. The man stepped in front of her and slapped her in the face. "Now that's no way to behave. Calm down."

Katya stopped for a second. "Oh, so you expect me to just submit to your scary threats? No. I won't," she spat back. Then she continued fighting the guards.

"I'll make a deal with you. Tell me what you're doing here and where the rest of your team is, and I'll forget the fact that you disobeyed me," he said.

Katya snorted and shook her head. "No way." _I'd rather be captive for the rest of my life than to tell where the team is. I have to fight. I can't let them find Ward and May._

The man sighed and slapped her in the face again. "I'll give you one more chance. Tell me where your team is."

"I'm never going to tell you, so why are we wasting time?" Katya said defiantly.

The man shook his head. "I'm sorry then. We could've worked something out." He pulled out a syringe filled with clear liquid.

Katya's eyes filled with terror. If there was one thing she hated, it was needles. "W-what is that?"

"This, is a chemical that has certain properties that aren't pleasant. One last chance to tell me and I won't use this," he said.

Katya trembled. She was scared of the needle and what was in it, but she wasn't going to let the team down. "No."

"Very well then." The reached out and quickly stabbed Katya with the syringe.

Katya bit her lip and felt the usual numbness of a needle sinking in. She laughed and said, "That's it? That did no-" Her words were cut off when all of a sudden, it felt like pure fire was coursing through her veins. She gasped and went limp. The pain was getting even more intense by the minute. The man stood over her and smirked. He said something that Katya couldn't make out. She felt herself being moved forward. _No, I can't leave here. Ward won't be able to find me, _she thought. She tried to think straight, but the pain was taking over her body. The pain suddenly multiplied rapidly. Katya couldn't help but throw her head back and scream. It was pain like she'd never felt before.

Then darkness came over her. She blacked out with one last thought: _Ward..._

* * *

"...so this has the ability to-" The door banged open, cutting Fitz off in the middle of his presentation to Argus Quinn.

A guard rushed in. "Sir, a break in has been reported. Apparently a young girl from S.H.I.E.L.D. was found."

Coulsen tensed. Katya was caught? How? Why not Ward? Quinn's expression hardened.

"Has she been caught?" he asked.

"Yes. She's in custody now."

Quinn nodded and turned to Coulsen. "I'm terribly sorry about this, but I must take care of this matter."

Making a decision in one second, Coulsen whipped out a gun and held it at Quinn's head.

"Where's the girl? Where is she being held?" Coulsen demanded.

Quinn laughed. "I know who you are Coulsen. I knew from the minute you walked in. You really think a disguise could fool me?"

He took out his iPhone and pressed a single button. Two seconds later, a swarm of guards burst into the room.

Skye, Fitz, and Simmons all armed themselves with their guns.

"Good luck Coulsen." Quinn laughed and left.

Coulsen gave Skye a glance. "Ready?" She nodded and grinned. "Ready."

The four attacked the guards, fighting their way out of the room. Simmons was surprisingly vicious. Fitz was useless. Skye had perfect aim. Coulsen, well Coulsen was in a league of his own. They all managed to escape without any bullet wounds. They ran down to the lower levels as fast as possible.

"First priority is Katya. We need to find her and get out of here. We don't know what they've done to her," Coulsen told them.

Skye nodded and replied, "If I know Ward, he's already searching."

* * *

Ward searched the halls soundlessly, trying to find Katya. Hearing her scream had made his blood go cold. It was so full of agony and pain. _C'mon Katya, where are you?_

* * *

Katya was dreaming. Fire was dancing up and down her arms. That couldn't be real. She was most definitely in a dream. Her eyes flew open and she gasped. _Where am I? _She was laying in what looked like a hospital bed. The room around her though was made of stone. She looked down at her arms and saw an IV drip protruding out of it. Her eyes followed the line to a bag of liquid hanging from a post.

She could still feel the white hot pain racing through her body. It wasn't as intense as before though. _What did they inject me with? _Katya contemplated ripping the IV out and making a run for it, but she wasn't sure who was outside the door. She tried to stand, but immediately felt dizzy and nauseous. Her brain was foggy and she couldn't put her thoughts together.

She got off the bed and immediately collapsed. She slowly dragged herself to the door and tried to open it. It was locked. She resorted to hitting the door with her hand, hoping someone would hear her.

Katya swore she saw a bubble of water floating in the air. But maybe that was just a side effect of whatever chemical they had stabbed her with. A single tear traced down the side of her face. _I'm sorry. _

* * *

Ward was getting worried. He had searched a good deal of the building and hadn't found Katya yet. He was about to give up and meet up with May when he heard a noise. It sounded like someone knocking on the wall that was across from him. He pushed against the wall and found the faint outline of a door. He found a latch and pushed the door open.

He was shocked at what he found. It was Katya. Lying on the floor right in front of him. She looked like hell. Ward immediately knelt down and examined her. "Katya! Are you okay?"

Her eyes were glassy. "W-Ward, they injected me with something. I-I don't know what's happening," she said hoarsely.

He noticed an IV in her arm. "I'm getting you out of here. We'll have Simmons check you. Can you stand?" She shook her head.

Ward examined the IV. "Damn, I don't know how to take this out," he said. Going with instinct, he just slowly slid the needle out. Katya winced and gave a whimper. Ward picked her up and started down the hall. Katya leaned her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes.

After seeing Katya so driven and nearly invincible for the past weeks, he had almost forgotten that she was only thirteen. This moment made her vulnerable.

Luckily, he found May at the end of the hall. "You found her? Thank God. We're getting out of here. Coulsen's on his way." May said. She glanced at Katya. "What happened to her?"

"They injected her with something. We have to get back as soon as possible." Right on cue, the rest of the team materialized.

Coulsen immediately was concerned. "You don't know what they gave her?" he asked. Ward shook his head. "Okay, we have to get back. Forget Argus Quinn, we'll figure that out later."

They all made way for the Bus. May got the plane up in the air within five minutes.

At the same time, Ward had laid Katya down in the lab. Simmons had already taken a blood sample from an unconscious Katya. They were all waiting for the results. Simmons held up the vial of blood. "I've got the results." Everyone leaned in to listen.

"She was injected with a chemical that is almost like an artificial cancer. In this case, it was leukemia, a blood cancer. She's got leukemia cells running through her blood."

Skye felt sick to her stomach. Leukemia? Was that even curable?

"Can you fix it?" asked Coulsen.

Simmons hesitated. "I think so. There's a process called dialysis. Her blood will go out one arm, be cleaned, and then it will go back in another arm. That's probably the only way we can clean her blood. But she'll need fresh blood too. I need to find someone who's a match for her type."

Simmons looked at them all. "I've looked at all of your medical records. Ward, you're a perfect match for Katya. Would you be willing to give her blood?"

Ward stood straighter. "Of course I am."

"I'll start running the dialysis in a few minutes then."

She shooed all of the others out. "Okay Ward, I'm going to start drawing your blood. Are you ready?"

He nodded and stuck out his arm. Simmons stuck him with a needle and the blood flowed into a bag. When it reached the right amount, she detached it. "All done, just take it easy for the rest of the day and drink something sugary."

"Okay, I will." Ward got up slowly, feeling weak, and sat next to where Katya was laying.

"I'll need her moved to the medical compartment," Simmons said, referring to the one Skye had been in.

"I can do it." Ward gently scooped her up and carried her over to the compartment.

Simmons followed and patted the bed covers. "Put her here." He laid her down on the bed. He was surprised at how light she was.

Simmons started the dialysis. In one arm, Katya's blood flowed out of one tube, was cleaned, then flowed back into her other arm.

"Will she be alright?" Ward asked.

"For the moment, yes. I need to put an IV in with some sedation so when she wakes, she doesn't flip out. Since her arms are already occupied with the dialysis, I'll just put it into her stomach." Ward's stomach turned at the thought.

She lifted Katya's shirt up to reveal her stomach. Simmons's breath hitched. There was a long, jagged scar across it. "What's this?" she wondered.

Ward leaned in to look. "I don't know but it looks pretty nasty."

"I'll look at her medical records later." Simmons looked at Ward. "Keep an eye on her." She left.

Ward pulled up a seat right next to the bed and sighed. He felt like it was partially his fault. If he hadn't let her alone, this wouldn't have happened.

Katya's eyes fluttered open. "W-Ward?" she asked.

"Hey Kat," Ward said with a small smile.

"Is this a...dialysis?" Katya sounded puzzled.

"Yes, Simmons determined that they injected you with an artificial form of leukemia."

Katya sat up with a start. Her hand went to her stomach and gasped.

"What's wrong?" Ward asked her.

Katya immediately pulled down her shirt to cover the scar. "Nothing. I just...was startled," she said, her eyes closing.

"Simmons was concerned about that scar you've got. She was going to look at your medical records." Ward informed her.

Katya's eyes popped open. "What? No! That's okay. I don't need her to do that."

Ward was confused. Why didn't Katya want them to see what it was from? There was only one answer. Katya was hiding something.

* * *

**Authors Note: Hello everyone! This chapter is reaaaaally long so bare with me here. I did a bit of research for this chapter, but I already knew most of the information. So, what do you think? Is Argus Quinn related to Ian Quinn? Is Katya going to survive? Will Ward find out what Katya's hiding? One more thing, have any of you seen the Captain America movies? This is very important! Please respond in your next review or PM me. This might be useful information for future chapters. Thanks! **


	9. Chapter 9: The Story

Katya was mentally freaking out. In the last few hours, she had gotten injected with artificial cancer and now Ward and Simmons knew about her scar. She had to think fast. She had to dig herself out of this hole. Katya thought about lying, but she hated lying to people. Plus she had a feeling that they would see right through it. But the truth was so painful and it might cost her everything she had going for her. _Telling the truth is the best thing to do. I guess I'll just have to say it outright, _Katya thought miserably.

She nervously fidgeted with the tube her blood was flowing out of. "This is horrible," she said quietly to Ward. "I-" Before Katya could continue, Simmons, Skye, and Coulsen came into the compartment. Her voice faltered and she gulped. Simmons was holding a bag of...was that blood?

"Oh good! You're awake. I'm going to start seeping the blood into your system now. Hopefully with this and the dialysis, the artificial cancer will go away," Simmons said.

Coulsen cleared his throat. "Simmons told me that you have a significantly large scar on your stomach. I searched your medical records and found nothing. Would you care to elaborate?"

Katya was silent. Now was the time. _Should I lie or tell them the truth? If I tell them the truth, I'll have to tell them the whole story. _A tear slipped out of her eye and trailed down her cheek.

"When I was 12, I was diagnosed with cancer. Real cancer. My mom had just died a few months ago of it too. My dad never was the best so when my mom died, he completely checked out. He said that I was a poisoned child and he gave me away to my aunt and uncle. They took me in and I started to get treatment. At first, it all seemed to be going well. But then I started getting worst and worst. It was to the point where they thought I was going to die. The doctors started doing even more aggressive treatment. I had surgeries all the time. The scar on my stomach is from when I had a major surgery. I have a few more scars on my chest from treatment."

Katya took a breath and looked at them all.

Skye stroked her hair. "Is that all? That's not so bad. Scars aren't such a bad thing."

Katya's eyes filled with tears again. "You don't understand. When I turned 13, a miracle happened. The doctors managed to make all of the cancer go away, but not permanently. I was cured, but not really. I tried to find a place to go since I don't belong at my aunt and uncle's. No where would take me because of my condition. They all think I'm poisoned. I wiped all of my medical records of it and then contacted SHIELD. I didn't tell anyone about it because I would've been rejected if I did." She stopped talking and looked up. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

Coulsen was silent for a second. "First of all, it wasn't right of you to do that but I can see why you did it. I'm not going to kick you out of SHIELD because of what you have. I think it's incredible that you've done all this with it, actually. I'll let you keep going with us on one condition. Simmons will have to give you regular check-ups and if she thinks you're not healthy enough, I'll put you on rest for a few days. Okay?"

Katya was shocked. He was going to let her stay? "That's fine with me. Thank you, by the way. For letting me stay. You're the first place that hasn't rejected me because of who I am."

Ward spoke up. "We don't care about something like that. We care about who you are as a person and your drive to help others."

Coulsen nodded. "Since that's all cleared up, excuse me while I talk to Fitz about our next move of TCRF." He left.

Katya plucked at the blanket covering her. "So. I guess my first ever mission didn't go so well." she said glumly.

Skye patted her shoulder. "Hey, it's okay. Reality, you did pretty good."

Simmons nodded vigorously. "Yes. Especially if I can separate the chemical they injected you with from your blood sample I took."

Ward chimed in with, "Besides, I shouldn't have left you in that room."

Katya thought about it. "Are you sure?" They all nodded and reassured her that she had done fine.

She sighed in relief. "Okay. That makes me feel a little better."

"I'm not sure how you're going to react to this artificial cancer considering the fact that you already have cancer living inside of you. We'll have to wait and see what happens. In the next few days, you might be experiencing some unpleasant side affects." Simmons said.

Katya made a face. "I'm used to it."

"I want at least one person in here with you at all times just in case something happens," Simmons ordered.

"Who?"

"I don't know, considering Fitz, Coulsen, and May are all busy, I'd say one of us three," she replied, gesturing to Skye, Ward, and herself.

Skye raised her hand. "Ward and I can switch off. That way Kat gets a change of scenery and all that."

Katya thought for a second. "Okay, yeah I'm cool with that."

"If you don't mind, I'm going to get something to eat. I'm starvin'!" Skye said. She left the compartment with Simmons.

Katya noticed that a bag of blood was hanging from the bed she was in. "Um, where did this blood come from?"

Ward cleared his throat. "Me."

Katya raised her eyebrows. "You gave blood, for _me_? Wow, I don't know what to say. Thank you. That really means a lot." she said softly.

Ward gave her a crooked smile. "You're welcome. Gotta keep my rookie up and running."

Katya laughed and smiled back.

"Ugh. This feels like the old days of being in a hospital with nothing to do," Katya groaned.

Ward didn't spend a whole lot of time sitting with sick people but hey, you got to do what you got to do. "Well, we could play a game of cards if you want."

"Gin rummy?" Katya said hopefully.

"Sure, anything you want," he laughed.

He went and got a pack of cards. He let her deal out the cards and they played several games of gin rummy. They were in the middle of the tiebreaker game when Katya said, "You're not going to like this."

Ward looked up in confusion. "What?"

Katya laid down three matches of cards and plopped the last one facedown on the discard pile. "I win."

Ward groaned. "Not again!"

Katya giggled. "I win, I win, I win!"

Ward shook his head. Did he seriously just lose a game of gin rummy?

"Hey, it's getting late. You should get some sleep," he said.

Katya nodded. "Okay. Thanks for sitting with me," she said shyly. She tentatively put her arms out. Ward leaned down and gave her a hug. He carefully disentangled himself from all the IVs and tubes. He pulled the blanket over her and flicked off the light.

Ward made his way to Skye's room and knocked on the door frame. Skye looked up from her computer. "Oh, hey Ward. What's up?"

He shrugged. "Nothing. Just wanted to talk to you. We haven't really had the time to talk."

"Yeah, good point. You seem to like Katya, don't you?" Ward nodded.

"I do, actually. She seems like a good kid. Been put through way too much though for someone her age."

Skye sighed. "I think so too. Poor girl. I wish I could help her in some way."

"Me too." replied Ward.

The two made eye contact for two seconds too long for it to be casual. Skye coughed. "Um, I gotta finish installing this software..."

Ward looked away awkwardly. "Yeah, okay. I better get some sleep."

Skye leaned in and kissed his cheek. "Hey, relax. It's all okay."

He touched her hand and sighed. "I can only hope so."

* * *

**Authors Note: Hey! Here's the next chapter. So we get to find out a bit more about Katya's background. EXCITING. I might be able to put up another chapter by Thursday but I'm not sure. I'm going away this weekend so I can't post then. So, the next chapter will be up before Thursday OR early next week. See ya then! **


	10. Chapter 10: Night

Skye was sitting with Katya, watching her sleep. The poor girl had already started feeling side affects like nausea and tiredness even though it had only been one day. Skye looked at her watch. It was 10:07 PM. She had spent most of the day talking with Katya and doing some computer work for Coulsen. They had dropped Simmons off at the Hub for her to run tests on Katya's blood. Hopefully, she would be able to find an antiserum for the artificial cancer. She had left specific instructions on what to do with Katya.

Skye had also been watching Ward carefully. When he was with Katya, he was extremely caring and brotherly to her. It was sweet and cute to watch. She was bringing out a different side in Ward. Katya seemed to enjoy Ward's company. The two got along well, almost like siblings.

She yawned. _I think I'll go to sleep in a few minutes, Katya seems alright for now, _she thought. Just as Skye was standing up to leave, Katya's eyes flew open. Her hands went to her nose and she gave a whimper.

"S-Skye..."

At first, Skye was confused. "What's wrong Kat?"

Katya pulled her hand away and Skye's eyes widened as she saw it drenched in blood. Simmons had warned Skye and Ward that Katya might start having massive bloody noses and vomiting blood. It appeared that it had started.

Skye grabbed a towel from the shelf and held it to Katya's face. "It's okay, calm down. I...um...I'll get Ward."

Skye was absolutely lost. Simmons wasn't here. What was she supposed to do?

Katya grabbed her hand. "No, don't leave. Please." Katya looked like she was about to cry.

_Help, _Skye thought. "Hold on, stay here and don't move." Skye said. She ran to the door of the compartment and yelled, "Ward?" She prayed that he was awake. Skye scurried back to Katya. The nosebleed hadn't stopped. _Oh God, please let it stop, _she thought frantically.

A few minutes later, Ward came into the compartment looking panicked and a bit disheveled. "What? What's happening?"

His eyes found the bloody towel and realization dawned on him.

"Crap." He grabbed another towel and pulled the other one away from her nose. It was soaked with blood. _How much blood can she lose before it gets dangerous? _he thought frantically.

Skye stroked Katya's hair and rubbed her back. "Shh, it's okay. It'll stop soon." she said reassuringly.

Katya gripped Ward's hand hard. It was slick with blood. After a few more minutes of gushing blood, it seemed to stop.

Ward sighed with relief. "Are you okay?" he asked Katya.

She nodded and stared at her hands. They were scarlet with her own blood.

Skye grabbed another towel and began cleaning her face and hands.

"I feel so pathetic and useless." Katya mumbled.

Skye stopped her task. "That's not true. You know what's incredible? You're fighting through this and staying so incredibly strong."

Ward nodded in agreement.

Katya clenched her fists. "I know, but still. This is stupid and horrible and awful."

Skye knew there was nothing she could say that would comfort the girl. She left to get a glass of water for Katya.

Ward sat down next to Katya. "Chin up kiddo. You'll be back out there soon." he said reassuringly.

"Thanks." she said softly.

"Anytime."

Katya stared down at her hands. There was an awkward silence.

He coughed awkwardly. "Um, do you feel better?" he asked.

She shrugged and shook her head. "Not really. It's kind of an unexplainable feeling."

Ward nodded. "I've been in a couple of bad scrapes myself but I can't imagine what you're feeling right now."

Skye came back with a plastic glass of water. She handed it to Katya and sat down with the other two.

"Here, drink it up."

Katya obediently slowly sipped the water. She made a face. "It feels like my stomach is a washing machine."

Skye frowned. She wished she could help Katya but she wasn't a medical expert.

Katya took a deep breath. "I feel a little bit better. Do you think it's okay to go back to sleep?" she asked.

"I think so. We'll stay here and make sure you're okay during the rest of the night." Ward said.

"But don't you two want to get any sleep?" Katya said worriedly.

"We'll be fine. Don't worry." Skye replied. "Go to sleep."

Katya slipped under the blankets and sighed. She closed her eyes and within minutes, she was asleep.

Skye reached over and held Ward's hand. She was no clairvoyant, but she knew he was thinking the same thing as her. _Please God, let Katya be okay. It's not fair to her. She has a life to live. _

* * *

**Authors Note: I'm so sorry that this chapter wasn't up earlier. I was away on a mini vacation and I had writer's block. I was fresh out of ideas. Speaking of that, do you guys have any ideas for future chapters? I would really appreciate it! Thank you! Until next time. **


	11. Chapter 11: Truth

Katya slowly opened her eyes. She had slept relatively well through the night. Occasionally, she woke up but she kept quiet so she wouldn't disturb Ward and Skye.

She sat up and rubbed eyes. "Ugh." she groaned.

"Morning beauty queen." a familiar voice drawled.

Katya turned and saw Skye. "Morning. Where's Ward? Can I have breakfast? What time is it?"

Skye laughed and said, "Slow down there. Ward's getting breakfast and it's 9:00 AM."

"9 AM? You're kidding me. I've never been up this late. Usually I'm up at 7, tops." Katya lamented.

"Well, things are different now. Take it easy kiddo." Skye replied.

Katya gave a yawn. "What's for breakfast?" she asked.

Skye made a face. "Ward only knows how to make three things for breakfast. Toast, cereal, and really bad pancakes."

Her eyes lit up. "Pancakes? I love pancakes! Not bad ones, but you know, good pancakes."

"Same here! With strawberries." Skye said animatedly.

Ward poked his head through the door. "What's this talk of pancakes?" He kicked open the door.

"Ward, where's that breakfast you were working on?" Skye said.

"Coulsen finished the rest of the bread for toast, Fitz ate all of the cereal, and Simmons confiscated the pancake mix."

"Wait, Simmons is back? When did we pick her up?" Katya asked.

"We landed at the Hub at 5:30 AM."

"So, what do we have to eat?" Katya inquired.

He pulled an apple from his pocket and tossed it to her. "This." He pulled an orange from his pocket. How many pieces of fruit could he fit in his pocket? "Or this."

"Nah, I'll take the apple." Katya laughed.

* * *

May paced back and forth in front of Coulsen. "Coulsen, if we tell her, we run the risk of her finding out everything."

"She might already know. I think we need to tell her. How else will she know to trust us?" he argued.

May sighed. "If we tell her, she might not believe us."

"May, we need to tell her. It's not right to keep something like this from her. Round up the others and meet me in the medical compartment in ten minutes."

* * *

Katya twiddled her thumbs nervously. The entire team was gathered around her bed. It was cramped and stuffy. "Katya, we have something important to tell you. It's not right that we've kept it from you. Argus Quinn is the brother of a past enemy our team has dealt with, Ian Quinn. He's been after something important. Something that he lost when he was in the middle of creating it." Coulsen looked directly at Katya. "You."

"Me? Why me? I've never seen him before!" she said frantically.

"Katya, did your mother die of cancer?"

She looked down and said softly, "Yes."

"Did your father call you a poisoned child?"

"Yes. But...wait, Ward! Did you tell Coulsen?" Katya was horrified. Did the one person she trust spill her privacy?

"No! I swear I didn't." Ward exclaimed.

"He's right. I know that because of the records we found at TCRF. Argus Quinn knew your father well at one point. Your father quit his job at TCRF when he realized they were manufacturing harmful chemicals. Quinn got him back by kidnapping you when you were a baby. He ran tests on you and injected you with a chemical that...well, it made you have a special power. Your father called the authorities and you were retrieved. Quinn was angry, so he impersonated a doctor to inject your mother with an artificial cancer similar to the one you were injected with. Your father knew that Quinn had done something to you so he disowned you." Coulsen stopped.

Katya took a shaky breath. "But what about the cancer I got a few years ago? Was that him too?"

Coulsen shook his head. "No, that seemed to be naturally occurring."

She fought back a tear that was threatening to fall out of her eye. "What power do I have?"

"We don't know yet. There was some mention of water in the records though."

Water. Water. Water. Katya reached for the glass of water that was on the table next to her. She placed her hand across the top of the glass and closed her eyes. Slowly, she lifted her hand up. Everyone in the room gasped. Her eyes flew open. "What? What did I do?" She looked back down at her hand and gave a small shriek. A perfect orb of water was floating half an inch away from her hand.

Skye reached out and poked the orb. Her finger went through the orb and came out wet, but the touch didn't disintegrate it. "I don't understand. How is this possible?" Skye asked.

Simmons was staring at the orb. "I'm not sure. No chemical should have this kind of property..."

"Agreed. He must have incredible technology to create something like this." Fitz added.

Katya let the orb splash back into the cup. "I don't get it. Why would he inject me with the artificial cancer when we were at TCRF?"

"I'm not sure. We'll have to look further into the matter." Coulsen answered.

She flopped back onto the bed. "Great."

"What's the matter? You can control water! That's pretty cool Kat." Ward said.

"I know, it's pretty awesome but it just makes me even more different."

* * *

**Authors Note: ****Hiiiii! This is still a really short chapter but I'm having trouble putting all of my thoughts for this story into place. I hope you all liked this chapter. Suggestions, criticism, and comments are always welcome. **


	12. Chapter 12: Bait

Katya sat upright in the bed, listening to her favorite book on her iPod. It was early afternoon. She had bought the audio book on iTunes last night. All of the team had been in to visit her in-between their hunt for Argus Quinn. May and Coulsen had stopped in to see how she was feeling. Simmons had given her a checkup. Fitz had delivered her iPod in pristine condition to her. Skye had poked her head in for a few moments to chat. Ward had come in and stayed for a while. When she had inquired as to why he wasn't working with the rest of the team, he claimed he wasn't good at tracking people down.

After lunch, Katya had made him go and help the team. She'd been entertaining herself by experimenting with her new-found power. Apparently she could mold water into any shape. Skye had put a basin of water next to her bed for her to fool around with.

She had just started molding a duck when Simmons came in. Startled, she gave a shriek and dropped the half made water duck on her lap. "Simmons! Don't scare me like that!" she said.

Simmons laughed and said, "Sorry, I didn't mean to. How are you feeling?"

Katya made a face. "Fine, I guess," she said halfheartedly.

All of a sudden, Ward poked his head through the door. "Doesn't sound like you're fine."

She shot him a death glare. "Excuse me Captain Pessimistic but I'm trying to get out of this compartment!"

He laughed and stepped fully into the room. "I think I can help with that. Coulsen's calling a meeting and he wants you present. Can you stand?"

Simmons gave a noise of protest. "She's not well enough!"

Katya flapped her hand at the biochemist. "I'm fine enough to get up and take a stroll." She swung her legs off the bed and stood up. She was unsteady on her feet and nearly fell back down on the bed. Ward grabbed her by her forearms and helped her back up. "Careful there Kat," he said.

She looped her right arm around his shoulder. He was much taller than her but she was able to reach it. "Let's rock and roll," she said grinning.

They carefully made their way to the Holotable where the others were. Simmons followed mumbling that Katya shouldn't be up and walking quite yet.

Giving a sigh of relief, Katya sank into a chair. Suddenly she was self conscious of the fact that she was wearing a hospital gown and her hair was matted down. "Couldn't you have let me take a shower?" she asked sarcastically.

"You look fine," Skye cut in. "Yeah right, and the sky is purple," Katya scoffed. "Is it really? I never knew that!" Skye said with mock surprise.

"Stop it you two," Coulsen said obviously trying not to laugh. "We have more important matters on our hands. We've found Argus Quinn," he deadpanned.

Silence. "So...what does that mean?" Fitz asked.

"It means that now we have a chance to capture him for interrogation and find some answers about TCRF," Coulsen said. "Not to mention Katya," May put in.

"How are you guys gonna capture him?" Katya asked nervously. "Well, that's the problem," Coulsen began. "We need you to be the bait."

At first Katya thought she'd heard wrong. "Bait? Excuse me? Like Scooby Doo? No way man! I'll take a rain check on that one. Heck, I don't even need a rain check. I'll just full out cancel!" she exclaimed.

"Calm down, you haven't even heard the plan yet," Ward said. "I don't need to hear the plan! I already know that I won't like it. Save your oxygen by not telling me, you'll save a few trees that way," she said grumpily.

"Look, do you want answers about your power?" Coulsen asked severely.

Katya crossed her arms and clenched her jaw. "Yes, but I don't want to be bait," she said stubbornly.

"You'd be perfectly safe. The entire team would be right there and with plenty of backup," Coulsen added.

"I don't care. I'm not deliberately putting myself where a psychopath can get to me," Katya argued.

"Katya, please. It's extremely important. We might be able to find a cure for you," Skye pleaded.

Katya was silent for a second. "Are you sure I'd be safe?"

"Absolutely. In fact, we could have Ward stationed right near you if that would be any comfort to your mind," Coulsen said.

"I...fine, I'll do it. On three conditions though. One, Ward is there with me hiding or whatever you guys do to stay out of sight. Two, let me get back to training. I'm sick of everyone treating me like glass. Three, I get to order Chinese takeout when it's over."

"Deal. It's settled then. We'll set the trap within the next few days."

Katya sighed and shook her head. "What have I gotten myself into?" she said aloud.

"Depends on how you look at it," Fitz commented. "You could look at like a cat and mouse scenario or maybe a fishing bait scenario," he speculated.

She put her hand up. "Stop, please. The more I hear about it, the worst I feel about it," she groaned.

* * *

**Authors Note: Hello! I'm so sorry that this chapter wasn't up earlier. I'm actually in the hospital right now so it was difficult to finish. Anyways, I hope you like it! Review and tell me what you think!**


	13. Chapter 13: Trap

"Everyone in place?"

"Affirmative."

"Katya? Nod your head if you can hear us."

Katya was sitting on a park bench in the middle of an empty park. The team had made sure that it was empty. She was live bait for Argus Quinn. She nodded her head once. The team was linked to her by hidden coms. Ward was sitting with Skye at the window table in a café that overlooked the park bench. May and Coulsen were hidden around the block behind a brick building. Fitz and Simmons were on the Bus ready to handle any emergency.

The team had made it so that Katya was easy to track. Skye had bought a cheap phone that was simple to hack into. She had put the location and time of when Katya would be at the park. It was almost guaranteed that Quinn had hacked into it and found Katya's whereabouts.

"Just remember Katya, keep a cool head and act normal," Ward relayed over the com.

"Gotcha. By the way, I should've asked this before I was stuck out here. What happens if something unexpectedly bad happens?" she said nervously.

"Nothing's going to happen. If something did happen though, you've got backup," May said.

"Okay. Wow, my nerves are completely shot," Katya fretted.

"Relax. You're going to be fine," Skye soothed.

"Easy for you to say. You're sitting in a dingy café where nothing remotely exciting or dangerous happens aside from an exploding can of soda," she said.

"Sir, target's in sight. Currently walking down the path to the left towards the bench," Fitz said hurriedly.

"This is it Katya, good luck," Coulsen said.

Katya took a deep breath. She pulled out the horrible gossip magazine and pretended to read about how some pop star was dating another celebrity.

A woman wearing a dark coat, a fedora hat, and sunglasses walked up to her. "Mind if I sit here?" she asked.

She looked up from her magazine. "Not at all," Katya replied calmly and shuffled over to make room. Her mind was screaming: _Enemy! Enemy! Get away!_

The woman nodded. "Thank you."

A few minutes went by. Katya refused to look at the woman. After all, strangers don't look at strangers, do they? Katya had nearly finished the magazine when she heard footsteps behind her. She then felt something cold against the back of her neck. Her heart dropped.

"Don't move unless you'd like my partner and I to take care of you in a way that you might not like," a voice whispered in her ear. The woman sitting next to her jumped up and pulled a gun out of her coat. She aimed it directly at Katya's heart. Katya risked a quick glance over her shoulder. There was a man in nearly identical clothing aiming a gun at her neck.

Her blood ran cold. This wasn't part of the plan, or was it? Katya couldn't remember anything. "I-I don't know what you're talking about," she stuttered.

The woman laughed. "Of course you don't. But we do and that's all that matters." She pulled out a cellphone and dialed a number. "Boss? Yeah, we got her. Yeah, yeah we won't. Yep. Just get down her, okay? Gotcha." She hung up.

"Now we just need you to stay right here, okay hon?" the woman said in a sickly sweet voice.

Every molecule in Katya's body was screeching: _RUN AND GET THE HELL OUT OF THERE. _As if he could read her mind, Ward's voice came over the com. "Keep calm. Go along with it. Don't worry, we're right here."

Okay. Sure. Just go along with it. 

* * *

**Authors Note: DUN DUN DUN! CLIFFHANGER! **


End file.
